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New Montreal GM Marc Bergevin will begin searching for another head coach after announcing that interim bench boss Randy Cunneyworth will resume his duties as an assistant with the organization for now.

"Whoever becomes the new head coach will decide if Randy will remain," said Bergevin. "I respect the way I was brought in as GM. I'll keep it confidential and low-key in the search for a head coach." Current NBC analyst Pierre McGuire was reportedly the runner-up for the position as Montreal's general manager. Wed, May 2, 2012 03:51:00 PM

The Montreal Canadiens are expected to announce that Marc Bergevin will take the helm as the team's new general manager.

He had been working as an assistant GM under Stan Bowman in Chicago. The Canadiens had been searching for a new general manager since Pierre Gauthier was fired in late March. Wed, May 2, 2012 07:58:00 AM

A report from LaPresse.ca said that Chicago Blackhawks assistant GM Marc Bergevin has been interviewed for the vacant GM's job in Montreal.

Bergevin became the assistant GM this past season as he replaced Kevin Cheveldayoff who became the GM in Winnipeg. Now, Stan Bowman could lose his second underling in less than a year if Bergevin is offered the job in Montreal. Stay tuned. Sun, Apr 29, 2012 06:14:00 AM

The Montreal Canadiens could name their next GM in two-to-three weeks.

Patrick Roy has surfaced as a potential candidate. Although nothing is set in stone, appointing a new GM in May would give the selected person plenty of time to prepare for the 2012 NHL entry draft and free agency period. Fri, Apr 27, 2012 09:59:00 AM

A report from LaPresse.ca said that Chicago Blackhawks assistant GM Marc Bergevin has been interviewed for the vacant GM's job in Montreal.

Bergevin became the assistant GM this past season as he replaced Kevin Cheveldayoff who became the GM in Winnipeg. Now, Stan Bowman could lose his second underling in less than a year if Bergevin is offered the job in Montreal. Stay tuned.

The Montreal Canadiens could name their next GM in two-to-three weeks.

Patrick Roy has surfaced as a potential candidate. Although nothing is set in stone, appointing a new GM in May would give the selected person plenty of time to prepare for the 2012 NHL entry draft and free agency period.

Montreal's search for a new general manager is underway, after the club fired Pierre Gauthier last Thursday, and some names are starting to pop up to take the helm.

TSN's Pierre LeBrun has reported that the Canadiens have reached out to Chicago assistant GM Marc Bergevin and player agent Pat Brisson, According to Darren Dreger, the Toronto Maple Leafs are expected to grant Montreal permission to speak to assistant GM Claude Loiselle and La Presse's Francois Gagnon says that the club has reached out to the Tampa Bay Lightning assistant GM and former Canadiens executive Julien BriseBois.

This shouldn't come as much of a surprise. The Montreal Canadiens are having a terrible season and Gauthier's decision to select Randy Cunneyworth as the team's interim coach was a controversial one. It obviously hasn't help matters that the team has done just as poorly under Cunneyworth than they did with former head coach Jacques Martin. The next Canadiens GM will be in a difficult position because, while the team has some very talented young players, it's also bogged down with some horrible contracts. The fact that Carey Price and PK Subban are set to get significant raises as restricted free agents this summer will also complicate things.

Saturday's contest against the Toronto Maple Leafs is a critical game for Montreal.

Montreal is nine points behind the eighth place Toronto Maple Leafs and both teams have 27 games remaining on their respective schedules. Nine points might not sound like a big gap, but it's very hard to gain ground in the playoff race, especially at this time of the season. Montreal has won three straight games, but have only come one point closer to eighth place. However, a game against Toronto is a prime opportunity for them to close the gap and make their playoff chances look a bit more feasible. Conversely, if they lose in regulation and allow Toronto to gain an 11 point lead on them, their situation will become dire.

"It’s tough enough playing a team straight up, but when you don’t get the calls, especially on the one that made the difference," said Cunneyworth. "(Erik) Cole was obviously hooked and could not battle to get the puck out of his zone. He was held up by (Ilya) Kovalchuk and that’s a little bit beyond comprehension for me. We were battling and working hard and I liked for the most part the effort and the desperation. The difference was the penalties. It’s hard to fight a good team when you’re down a man for as much time as we were." The Devils actually only got one more power play than Montreal. New Jersey was 1-for-4 with the man advantage, while the Canadiens were 0-for-3. Montreal is 11 points out of eighth place and at this point, their chances of making the playoffs are very low.

The Montreal Canadiens are ranked dead last in the league in power play efficiency this season.

They have 22 goals on 179 opportunities and failed to score on seven chances against the Washington Capitals on Wednesday night. Several different players got a crack with the man advantage in the contest, but none of them could find the back of the net.

Canadiens interim head coach Randy Cunneyworth plans to learn French in the hopes of keeping his job.

The Canadiens created some controversy when they selected the English-only speaking Cunneyworth to coach a team in the french speaking province. In response, the Canadiens GM Pierre Gauthier and owner Geoff Molson have both emphasized that Cunneyworth is an interim coach and that they intend to give the job to someone who can speak French over the summer. However, Cunneyworth is going to do what he can to prevent himself from being a lame duck bench boss. "I'm working hard to pick up the language as much as I can and as quickly as I can," Cunneyworth said. "Hopefully that will be the case by the time some of the decisions are made. A lot will depend on how successful this team is and that's really my priority right now. The language is secondary, but very important as well for me because I think it's an important marketplace where I'd love to be able to address everybody in both languages and talk to everybody concerning hockey."

Canadiens GM Pierre Gauthier apologized to anyone he might have offended by selecting someone who can't speak french, Randy Cunneyworth, as the head coach of the Montreal Canadiens.

"I'm sorry if we upset people. Because that certainly wasn't our intention," Pierre Gauthier said. Regardless of what your opinion on this issue is, we can all agree that Montreal hasn't been getting results this season and the coaching change hasn't helped. This issue is a distraction, especially seeing as Montreal has been emphasizing Cunneyworth's interim status.

Randy Cunneyworth picked up his first win as head coach of the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night against the Ottawa Senators.

He pushed the right buttons with Lars Eller and P.K. Subban, as both players scored after being healthy scratches last Thursday in Winnipeg. The Canadiens snapped a five-game losing skid with the victory and Cunneyworth got his first "W" in five tries since taking over for Jacques Martin.

When the Montreal Canadiens select a permanent head coach after the conclusion of this season, they'll be looking for someone that's fluent in both English and French.

The appointment of Randy Cunneyworth has been criticized by some Canadiens fans because Cunneyworth isn't fluent in french. Team owner Geoff Molson clarified that, "Although our main priority remains to win hockey games and to keep improving as a team, it is obvious that the ability for the head coach to express himself in both French and English will be a very important factor in the selection of the permanent head coach." That might prevent Cunneyworth from coaching the Canadiens beyond this season, although we wonder if the fans will warm up to him if he makes an open effort to learn the language. Of course, winning is universal and if Cunneyworth can turn the Canadiens season around, that will help his case.

The plan is to have Randy Cunneyworth serve as the team's interim coach for the remainder of the season. Cunneyworth is a former player, who managed to have a fruitful career despite being an eighth round pick. Cunneyworth had 414 points and 1,280 penalty minutes in 866 career games between 1980-81 and 1998-99. Cunneyworth spent his final playing season, 1999-2000, with the AHL Rochester Americans and served as the team's assistant coach during that campaign. He went onto spend eight seasons as the Americans head coach. He was the Atlanta Thrashers assistant coach for nearly two years between 2008-2010 before the Thrashers got rid of their coaching staff. Cunneyworth was the AHL Hamilton Bulldogs' head coach before accepting his latest position. The Canadiens are certainly capable of making the playoffs and might surprise some people if Carey Price gets hot in the postseason.

Depth Charts

David Desharnais scored twice in the Canadiens’ 4-0 win over the Maple Leafs on Saturday night.

Desharnais picked up two third-period goals, with one owing with the net empty. The 28-year-old hadn’t scored since Feb. 10, and he now has 11 goals and 38 points this season. Tomas Plekanec and Manny Malhotra also scored, his first of the season. Brendan Gallagher and Max Pacioretty picked up two helpers.

Tomas Plekanec produced a goal and an assist in Monday's 2-0 win over Detroit.

He scored the game-winning goal, his 17th of the year, with just 2:30 remaining in regulation. Plekanec also picked up his 23rd helper of 2014-15 on an empty-net goal by Max Pacioretty. He has a four-game point streak going, with two goals and three assists during that time.

Lars Eller scored a power play goal in Saturday's win over New Jersey.

The goal was Eller's first since December 29th and it also snaps an 11-game pointless drought for the Habs' forward. The 25-year-old is big and skilled but his offensive production has been limited again this season. He has just nine goals and 16 points in 46 games.

Malhotra opened the scoring just five minutes into the first period when he beat Leafs' goaltender Jonathan Bernier. The goal was Malhotra's first of the season and first since joining the Montreal Canadiens last summer. The 34-year-old has just three points on the season, but two of those have come in his last two games. He became the 500th different player to score a goal in a Montreal Canadiens uniform. He has no fantasy value going forward.

The marker was also his eighth game winner, which ties him with three other players for the NHL lead. Pacioretty has 19 games remaining to reach the 40-goal plateau for the first time in his career. He finished one goal short of hitting that total last season.

Montreal's Alex Galchenyuk was the hero Tuesday as he registered two goals and an assist in a 5-2 win over the Blues.

If you were uncertain about whether we're witnessing Galchenyuk's breakout, question it no longer. With 39 points in 58 games, he's on pace for about 55, but has only scratched the surface of his potential. Brendan Gallagher also potted a pair of goals in the winning effort while Michael Bournival also found the back of the net.

Michel Therrien has been impressed with Jacob De La Rose's game since his call-up from Hamilton.

"He's never on the wrong side of the puck," said Therrien. "We're never afraid to give him responsibility. I trust his game." That is some high praise for a 19-year-old rookie who is in his first professional season in North America. De La Rose may end up putting up respectable offensive numbers one day but his fantasy upside remains very limited this season. He has two goals and three points in 13 games with the Canadiens.

Forward Michael Bournival scored two goals as the Montreal Canadiens defeated the Devils 4-2 in New Jersey Friday night.

They were Bournival's first two goals of the season. He's been used sparingly this season. Montreal also got goals Friday from Max Pacioretty on a power play and Tomas Plekanec into an empty net. P.K. Subban had three assists and now has 18 on the season.

He is at Saturday morning's skate but his status for Saturday night's game against the Devils is unknown. Consider Prust probable but make other roster arrangements if you have adequate depth on your fantasy squad.

He had been playing alongside Max Pacioretty and David Desharnais on the top line, but the Canadiens made some changes because Alex Galchenyuk was out with the flu. Brendan Gallagher took Weise's spot on the first unit and he scored both of Montreal's goals in a 3-2 shootout loss to Florida.

Devante Smith-Pelly enjoyed his first home game as a member of the Montreal Canadiens.

"This is a whole new level," said Smith-Pelly. "The guys gave me a bit of a heads-up but until I got there I didn't know what to expect. But I think I'm going to like it here." The 22-year-old had no points, two hits and a blocked shot in just over 13 minutes of ice time in Saturday's 4-0 win over Toronto.

He picked up one goal and four assists in three games. Subban enjoyed the most productive month of his season so far in February with 15 points in 14 games. He's tied for second in the league in scoring among defensemen with 48 points in 62 matches.

Andrei Markov contributed two helpers in Tuesday's win over the St. Louis Blues.

He combined with defense partner P.K. Subban to set up two goals by the Canadiens in a 5-2 victory. The Montreal defense duo had assists on the 17th tallies of the year of Alex Galchenyuk and Brendan Gallagher. Markov has 36 points this season, while Subban has 44.

Sergei Gonchar will pair with Greg Pateryn to form Montreal's third defensive unit against Toronto on Saturday night.

It'll be Gonchar's first game in two full weeks due to an upper body injury, and you can bet the Canadiens are happy to have him back in the lineup. Through 38 games with them, Gonchar has 12 points, 36 hits, and 58 blocks.

Jeff Petry will be in the lineup Monday night against the San Jose Sharks.

Petry will make his Canadiens debut Monday night after making the trip from Edmonton to San Jose earlier in the day. Petry offers top four minutes on defense for the Habs and should see a significant improvement in the plus/minus department. In 59 games with the Oilers this season, he had a dismal minus 25 rating to go with four goals and 11 assists.

Mike Weaver is expected to be a healthy scratch for the seventh straight game Monday versus the Sharks.

Weaver has not been much of a factor for the Canadiens this year having skated in only 30 games this season and just four since the new year arrived. He has four assists and six penalty minutes over the year and has no fantasy value.

The Canadiens have relied on Nathan Beaulieu to play more minutes of late and he has responded by playing the best hockey of his career.

The 22-year-old averages over 15 minutes of ice per game, but he has played at least 23:45 in each of his last three games. "I feel like the game is slowing down for me," said Beaulieu. "After getting my first goal, I felt like so much came off my shoulders. I know it wasn't the prettiest one, not how I dreamed of it, but a goal's a goal…Things are coming together for me now." Beaulieu hasn't put up many points but that part of his game will come with time.

Montreal's superstar goalie, Carey Price, made 33 saves Monday night but he didn't get any offensive support from the Canadiens and was on the losing end of a 4-0 score in San Jose.

The Sharks ended Montreal's four-game winning streak and Price's franchise record 10-game road winning streak. Montreal (41-17-5), which leads the Eastern Conference with 87 points, had 13 shots through two periods and was outshot 37-20 in the game. Price, who posted a 9-1-1 record with a 1.34 goals-against average in February, is now 36-12-3 on the season. His GAA is 1.92. And his save percentage is .935. And, yes, he remains a must-start goalie. Despite the loss and the four goals allowed Monday night, Price was his usual solid self in San Jose. The loss was simply the result of his teammates not playing their usual strong game.

The Sens prevailed 4-2, outshooting the Habs 44-39. Tokarski`s record is now at .500 (5-5-2). His goals-against average shot up to 2.70 and his save percentage is .914. Tokarski`s an adequate backup goalie but he`s not a viable fantasy option as Price is quite possibly the best goalie and best player in the NHL this season and won`t warm the bench very often.